1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network management systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for facilitating root cause analysis for abnormal behavior of systems in a networked environment.
2. Related Art
A networked environment generally contains various end systems (e.g., user/client systems, server systems) connected by a network. The network itself may be formed from various connecting systems such as routers and bridges. All the end systems and connecting systems (and any other system sought to be monitored) together are conveniently referred to as resource elements in the present application.
Network monitoring systems are often implemented to detect abnormal behavior of various resource elements. Abnormal behavior of a resource element with respect to an attribute (e.g., processing power, utilization, etc.) is generally said to be present when the value of the attribute falls outside of an acceptable range. The acceptable ranges are often represented as thresholds, which are either specified by users or computed dynamically (e.g., based on prior behavior).
It is often desired that root cause analysis be performed to determine the cause for any abnormal behavior of a resource element. Root cause analysis generally entails examining values of various related attributes to understand the reason for the abnormal behavior of a resource element with respect to an attribute of interest. In general, it is desirable that sufficient relevant information be available to the user performing such root cause analysis.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.